Bringing home a pasalubong is very important in the Philippine culture. Your pasalubong need not be…read moresomething very big and expensive. It can be as cheap and simple as snacks and delicacies that one can munch on during merienda. Samu't Sari specializes in these products, allowing you to give a pasalubong anytime, anyday. Peanut kisses, lengua de gato, adobong mani, fish crackers, chicharon, Ilocos chicacorn, polvoron, pastillas, tart, peanut brittle, pili nuts, shingaling... Truly, this store brings to the city a taste of several provinces! No need to sit on a bus for hours to go to Baguio to have some peanut brittle. No need to ride a plane to fly in an airplane or board a ferry to have your share of pili nuts. Go to Samu't Sari where you can buy delicacies from different provinces in one go! My advice: Buy a significant amount of several items from this store and you can have your snacks for several days or even weeks covered.

Rocha's puto is really special and delicious. Actually it is one of my favorite places to get puto…read morein the world. The puto is chewy and cheesy. I could probably eat a whole box in one sitting. If you are in Marikina, I highly recommend buying a box or two! Next time I'm in Marikina this is a must visit for me.

First day of school. You will expect the students to talk about academic issues. But, surprise,…read moreRocha's Puto at Kutsinta made its way into the conversation. My classmate asked me where I was from and I answered Marikina. Quickly, she remarked: "I've been there. Dumayo kami to try Rocha's Puto and Kutsinta. You're famous for that, di ba?" And all the while I was thinking Marikina was famous for shoes! But, maybe, the palate makes a greater impact on the memory than the feet. Oh well, this is one time I am happy to be wrong. The puto of Rocha's is really quite good. Flavorful but not overly sweet. Soft and fluffy and never buhaghag. This rice cake from Rocha's is becoming a staple at meals served for family celebrations. So, next time, if you are going to a potluck party, you now have more options than just spaghetti, pancit or pizza. Visit Marikina and buy Rocha's Puto and Kutsinta. Marikina, the puto and kutsinta capital of the Philippines? Not bad.

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of kakanin (sticky rice). Even though it's the Filipino dessert and…read moreit comes in a variety of styles and flavors, I just never got around to really liking it. I'd eat it, yes, but I wouldn't normally crave for it on a random day. But there is one kakanin I've been used to eating every since I was a kid - kalamay (rice cake with sweet coconut puree on top). And it's all because of Aling Kika's. Aling Kika's is a specialty food shop near our place. Ever since I could remember, my mom would bring home a box of kalamay. When she's looking for something Pinoy to give to our relatives, this is her go-to food item and she would always bring home one for the family. What is so good with Aling Kika's kalamay is how tasty it is. The sticky rice topped with latik (sweet coconut puree) is delicious when fresh from the refrigerator or when heated up in the microwave. It's sweet and filling, perfect with a some tea or a cup of Joe! Other than their kalamay, may second favorite food item from Aling Kika's would be their peanut butter spread. Although packaged under Aling Kika's daughter, Mely, their peanut butter just ranks so high up my list Lily's, Skippy's or any other peanut butter brand will never be able to measure up. Mely's Peanut Butter is so good, it doesn't last that very long in the house. It's sweet, chewy and packed with peanut flavour - it's the best spread ever, believe me! Other than those two, Aling Kika's also sell their version of coco jam, leche flan, halayang ube and anything you will ever need to create your own halo-halo. A trip to Aling Kika's may be quite challenging especially if you are not familiar with the place. But it's definitely worth it!

Sasmuan Delicacies is the perfect place to go to if you're looking to buy pasalubong for your…read morefriends and loved ones. I consider it as the home of the best-tasting Filipino sweet treats. They sell polvoron (powdered milk candies), yema, pastilyas, pili tarts, and many more. I often go here whenever I want to eat something sweet after lunch. I don't normally order desserts in restaurants because it's too expensive, so I often look for desserts in different food stalls that can satisfy my sweet tooth. Sasmuan Delicacies is best known for their milky and great-tasting polvoron. They use local and pure ingredients to produce their polvoron. They have a variety of flavors to choose from that everyone will surely love. They have Butter, Choco, Cookies and Cream, Ube-Pinipig, and many more. This polvoron just melts in your mouth and won't leave you gasping for air. If you're looking for sugary treats to satiate your craving for sweets, then head over to Sasmuan Delicacies.

For some people, bibingka is a seasonal food. It's best enjoyed after Simbang Gabi during Christmas…read moreseason. But my love affair with bibingka does not end when the holidays are over. It's of my my favorite Filipino delicacies. Thank goodness for Bibingkinitan, I can enjoy my hot bibingka all year round. Of course, it seems too indulgent to finish one plate of bibingka all by myself. But Bibingkinitan serve freshly baked mini bibingkas, just the right size for one person, though I can finish a whole box (6 mini bibingkas inside) in one sitting if I don't control myself. I recently learned that they also have ube, pastillas, macapuno and even peanut butter bibingkas, but those are just seasonal. It's okay, I'm more than happy with my original bibingka, more butter and no sugar, please. I like bringing home a box of Bibingkinitan for an afternoon snack, but I also like eating it at their stall, with their special calamansi juice.

If you ever find yourself spending too much time trying to find a gift for someone, go for food!…read moreIt's the easiest, most appreciated gift especially if it's for a family member or someone senior to you. My personal go-to is Blue Kitchen, this super cute store has so many food options for gifts or for yourself! They have a lot of Filipino favorites from frozen home-cooked food to desserts and snacks. They also sometimes carry imported brands, but their home-made items are the winners here! I love their polvoron and their chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! I always end up finishing them within a week of buying a pack! They've also got really good coffee beans, that I believe are from Baguio! What I really love about Blue Kitchen is that I feel like I'm really in someone else's kitchen. Everything feels made with love and care and not mass produced for everyone. It's the perfect place to grab gifts or for the house in case you have friends over or for yourself!

Random-great snackage Blue Kitchen has been a long…read moreestablished food stall serving up great home-made snacks like cookies, sansrival bars (to die for!), and savory helpings like dried and smoked fish, sausages, and the like. Blue Kitchen offers a unique combination of snack items and has only expanded with its options over the years. Now they also offer international import snacks like marshmallow fluff, bacon salt, and unique kitkat flavors from Japan. These adds are great but it's still their classic offerings that I enjoy the most. My favorite offerings at Blue Kitchen are definitely their thin cookies which are crunchy, sweet, and ultra-thin which makes you not feel (that) guilty even after finishing two dozen of them. Another favorite are their sansrival bars; sansrival is one of Pinoys favorite cakes and to have it made more easy to eat in bar form was just genius! Blue Kitchen also offers candy options and my guilty pleasure is definitely their sampaloc candies (offered in both sweet and salty, and sweet and spicy) which if you love sour food as much as I do you will crave for constantly (so stock up and buy a lot!).

I miss this place! I wish it's still open!…read more This is our go to gift shop back in the days

A visit to Greenhills will never be complete without going to Regina Gift Shop…read more When I was a kid my parents would remind me that it's a gift shop meaning I went in to buy gifts for other people. I believed that lie until I was about ten. I guess that was to prevent me from buying all the awesome goodies this shop has to offer. Sorry, parents. I'm buying gifts for myself. They have everything! And I really mean everything. They have all my childhood candies next to a stand of plastic balloons. You know, those little tubes which you squeeze until this substance comes out which you blow into with the use of a little stick. There's a shelf with plates, spoons and forks and knives, cups and lunchboxes. And in the center, you'll find notebooks, stickers, pens, art materials, cellphone cases and the occasional sex toy. Speaking of toys, they do have toys for babies and children and adults who collect toys. Not into those things? They have bags, clothes and hats too. I remember being dragged here by my mom whenever I needed a costume for school. "You're only going to wear it once anyway. But it at Regina," she'd say. Don't get me wrong, their clothes don't break after one use. They have cool socks and hats. And sometimes if you're lucky, they have sell Christmas stockings. I can't remember everything they sell at this shop. So it would be great if you have a look for yourself. You won't be disappointed and you'll leave with lots of loot.

The food is soooooo good! We had their mushroom salad which was so fresh and yummy! Highly…read morerecommend this salad, then their pasta is so delicious as well, they make their own Noodles! We also had their organic chicken! Yummy! The skin was so crispy and the chicken was tender too! Love love this restaurant and they have such great deals if you have a grab app too! Service was great, they were so nice and attentive and the ambiance is also very relaxing and love their decor as well!

I spent five days in Manila and was surprised by how infrequently I ate Filipino food and how often…read moreI ate in chain restaurants and giant malls. I wasn't picking the restaurants, but I got the sense that these choices were at least somewhat reflective of the local dining scene. For example, we had a perfectly nice lunch at Wildflour Cafe + Bakery, a casual sit-down spot in The Podium. When I was telling my husband about all the chains later that day, he mentioned offhand that the Manzkes, who run a successful restaurant group in Los Angeles, opened an offshoot in the Philippines. It turned out that this was in fact Wildflour Cafe, meaning I went all the way to Manila to eat at a franchise that started two miles from my house. I'm a big fan of the Manzke restaurants at home and I did like my lunch at Wildflour. The space was comfortable and elegantly decorated, and we were able to reserve a table for our large party (I think we were about a dozen people). Service was great, too, polite and reasonably fast. The staff did a good job with our huge table, though there were a couple of mistakes and delays with the long menu of specialty drinks. Those drinks were hard to resist, though, as varied and interesting as the food. I ended up getting a black sesame latte, and it was delicious, nutty and lightly sweet. I also gather that Wildflour does excellent pastries, something the Manzkes are known for in L.A. For my lunch, I went with the Thai green curry. It was different from any Thai green curry I've had at home or abroad, a very thin, brothy curry with chicken, eggplant, coconut milk, chili, kaffir lime, and cilantro-lime rice. It was quite lovely, though, warming and flavorful. I definitely cleaned the bowl. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back to Wildflour, not when it takes less than ten minutes to get to Republique. But I'd recommend it if you're looking for a cute restaurant at a Manila mall.

Michelle's Putong Ube is definitely a must try ESPECIALLY when it's FRESH. When it's not, the taste…read moreand texture really change. One time, I bought Michelle's Putong Ube from a reseller, not directly from the shop and I found the puto to be less tasty and drier than usual. I really have a hard time choosing which one my favorite is. I like the ube and I like the cheese. Well now I don't have to choose anymore because they just made the best thing ever - ube puto with small cheese squares on top. Omg. This is like a gamechanger. Two amazing things in one. I ALWAYS get this now. Other flavors they have: Putong Ube, Putong Queso, Putong Pandan and Putong Mascobado

I wanted to experience a wet market, or palengke, in the Philippines. I've seen too many episodes…read moreon the Travel Channel of people in other countries at outdoor markets to not want to experience it. My cousin also told me that a scene from Bourne Legacy was filmed here. Some of my other cousins are disgusted by the palengke because it smells like fresh fish and meat and it's hot. Don't be a sissy if you're coming here. You will see butchered meat and fish right in front of you. There are stalls for anything and everything ranging from uncooked rice to eggs to seafood to vegetables to clothes to cooked food. It seemed as though most stalls had a specialization. The rice stall had so many varieties of rice. The eggs had so many cartons of eggs stacked above my head. The banana stall had millions of bananas. The seafood or poultry stalls had all parts of the animal butchered and displayed. It was amazing. Next door is a malengke that sells clothes, backpacks, shoes, and most of whatever else you can find in a swap meet in America. I wish I had the opportunity to eat freshly cooked food at one of the cooking stalls but it was getting hot in there. It was already uncomfortably warm at 10 am. A good time to go is early early in the morning before it gets too hot since it's an outdoor market with no air conditioning. Don't go here alone because if you're a foreigner and if you don't know how to blend in with the locals, then you'll stand out to them and the poorer ones might beg and follow you around. I went with locals so even though some people could tell I was a foreigner, no one bothered me. But they do stare. Gosh, one guy almost cut off his own fingers while butchering the meat and staring at me. Get used to people staring at you while you're in the Philippines.

Is there any item you are looking for that is not available in this people's market? Probably not…read more Chances are you will find it in one of the innumerable stalls that form part of this complex. Vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, eggs, native delicacies, spices and condiments of any kind, seaweeds, shellfish, kitchen wares, plastics, footwear, clothes. Name it! The Marikina Public Market has it. As a tribute to its versatility, this public market is often quoted in radio reports about market prices for the day. Fortunately, these goods and products come at affordable prices, too! This market is really quite big that you can make your entry into it from various points of the city. You can enter it from the riverside, from Sumulong Highway, from Shoe Avenue, and from W. De la Paz. There may be some difficulty at first but, as soon as you get accustomed walking around the area, you can navigate your way through the intersecting streets.